Luke and the Ginger Cat
by starwenn
Summary: Luke Skywalker, a kind-hearted miller's apprentice, finds himself working for a bossy ginger cat for a year in order to earn a horse and gain the mill. But the cat isn't what she seems...and she has other plans for the gentle lad.


**Luke and the Ginger Cat**

Rating: PG

Pairings: Luke/Mara

Disclaimer: The franchise belongs to George Lucas and the Walt Disney Company.

Once upon a time, old Ben the miller lived at his grain mill on the edge of the stream with his three apprentices, Luke, Lando, and Han. When it came time for him to retire, he had neither wife nor child. He gathered his three apprentices together. "I will leave the mill to whomever can find the best horse, and a wife to help them run the business."

The trio walked together until they reached a certain fork in the road. "Here's where we part company," Lando told the two younger men. "I will go to the City of the Clouds. I'm sure to win a horse with my great luck and charm the ladies with my new suit of clothes."

"I'll be going to Alderaan." Han shouldered his satchel. "They say the horses there run wild and free. I'm sure to be able to tame a fine one." The tall man smirked. "I heard the ladies there are almost as wild. I like a woman with a little spunk to her." He chuckled at the youngest apprentice. "What of you, Luke? You don't have the connections we do. You spend most of your time with Ben and the mill."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll find something." Luke gave them one of his sunny smiles. "I'll buy a nice horse in town, or ask about them at the nearest farm, and I'm sure there will be a nice girl in town I will be able to court." It was true that he was the youngest of the three, and that he usually spent most of his time with Ben at the mill. On their nights off, when Han and Lando went into town to drink with pretty girls and take part in games of chance, he remained with Ben at his little cottage, listening to his stories and helping him tend to his home. Han and Lando were fond of him, but they sometimes thought him a little strange.

They had no sooner went their separate ways than Luke found himself lost in the great dark Endor woods, just outside of Coruscant City. He'd heard the stories about the strange creatures that lived in these woods. The former ruler was said to have been an evil sorcerer named Palpatine, who held the area with an iron fist, turning anyone who disobeyed him into animals.

"I wish I could find my way out!" Luke shivered. "I heard there's ghosts and monsters and all manner of evil dark creatures in this land. All I want is a horse!"

"I can help you find a horse." A long, lithe tabby cat with fur like a shining orange sunset and deep-green eyes batted at his heels. "I'll just need for you to do do some work for me for a few years."

"I don't mind working," the boy admitted, "but how could you help me?"

"Follow me, young man." She took off into the woods. He hurried after her, his legs not quite as limber as hers.

The ginger-furred feline lead him to an old black castle on a hillside. "Goodness!" The youth exclaimed. "You're quite a wealthy kitty, if you own such a fine home!"

The cat coughed a bit as she lead him across the drawbridge. "It's, er, not mine. My, er, guardian used to live here. I took over when he died."

Four tiny kittens, three with orange fur, one with gray, were licking their paws in the main hall when she arrived. "Servants!" she called to them, clapping her paws. "I want you to attend to this young man. He is our newest addition to the household. He will take over the household chores and tend to the stables. For tonight, however, I wish for you to find him a nice bed to sleep in and food for him to eat. I'm sure he would not prefer the mice pudding and flaked fish we fancy."

Luke was taken upstairs to the biggest bedroom he'd ever seen. The cats brought him a meal of fish and vegetable soup and fresh bread. Two kittens combed his golden hair; another brushed the leaves and twigs off his coat and trousers.

When they were done, they lead him to the music room. He was surprised to see a group of larger cats playing the fiddle, the horn, and the viola, their song an old tune that had once been a favorite of the previous owner of the castle. The kittens leaped merrily around them, as nimble and quick as lightning.

"Dance with me, Luke!" The ginger cat pranced on her hind legs before him. "I do enjoy dancing, but I haven't had a partner in years."

"But you're a cat!" Luke protested. "You can't dance!"

"You'd be surprised!" She swayed before him, managing to skip around on her hind feet. Luke joined her, even if it felt a bit odd to be dancing with a cat.

The moment he started yawning, the ginger cat bade her kittens to take Luke upstairs to his room. They removed his yellow coat and black wool trousers and stockings and heavy shoes and settled him into the massive canopy bed. The ginger cat herself blew out his candle.

Something tickled Luke's nose the next morning. His blue eyes met a pair of round green ones, with a long ginger tail rubbing around his face. "Rise and shine, my servant," the marmalade-furred pussy purred. "It's time for you to dress and begin your duties."

"Wha...huh?" Luke sat up gingerly as two white cats pulled off his blankets. "What duties?"

"Your duties as my servant, of course!" She nodded as two cats hauled in hot water. "This is for you to wash in. As cats, we like to keep ourselves clean." Indeed, the cats scrubbed him with their paws, then wiped him with their soft tails and dressed him.

The ginger cat lead him downstairs to the courtyard, which was filled with wood. She nudged at a silver ax. "The first thing you are to do is chop wood. Make sure you chop it very small."

Luke did it, and did it well. Chopping wood for their fires was one of his duties for Master Ben. He chopped wood every day for several weeks. When he finished, the ginger cat appraised his work. "Very good, servant. Just perfect." She nodded as three cats pulled a small sled right to the foot of the log pile. "Now, load those logs onto that sled, and we'll take them around back. I have another job for you to do."

He shrugged and did as he was told, carrying the remainder that didn't fit onto the sled himself. They followed the cats with the sled to the clearing. It was a wide meadow covered in tall grass and flowers, about five leagues from the main castle. Luke could understand why she liked this place. It had a fine view of a sparkling brook and the Naboo Mountains.

The ginger cat picked a scythe made of silver off the sled. "After you've stacked the wood, I want you to cut the grass in the field, then dry it for the horses and cattle in the stables."

Luke did as he was bade. It once again took him many weeks, but he finally got all the grass dried and bound with twine. The ginger cat and several of her servants approached him as soon as the last bundle was in the hay loft.

One of the cats had a carpenter's box between his teeth. Luke took it from him. In it were tools of the carpenter's trade, but the saw and wedge were silver and the mallet was copper. "These are beautiful!" Luke gasped. "Where did you get such fine tools?" He took the saw out to admire it.

"They belonged to my guardian, the previous owner of this castle." She brought him to roughly the center of the now-cleared meadow. "I want you to build a little cabin for us right here."

"A cabin?" Luke scratched the back of his head? "But why?"

"I have my reasons." The ginger cat just glared at him. "Well, are you going to stand there, or start building? It'll be winter soon. You'll want to do as much as you can before the frost sets in."

Luke was beginning to wonder if he would ever get his horse. It took him years to build that house with just the cat's help. No one but the cats and the animals in the stables seemed to live here. He hadn't seen another human since he left the mill. While he continued to dance at night with the ginger cat, during the day, she continued to be rather brusque with him, treating him like little more than a slave.

When he asked her if he could have some new clothes, since his old ones were growing threadbare, the ginger cat shook her head. "I'm sorry, but the only clothes left in the castle belonged to my guardian, and he was much shorter and broader across the shoulders than you were. They wouldn't fit." The youth continued wearing his old yellow coat, which was falling to shreds around him.

A year flew by as if they were six weeks. It was a sunny day in early spring when Luke declared the little house finished. "I'm really proud of it, Kitty," Luke told the ginger cat. "I've never built anything like this with my own two hands before. I wish my friends Han and Lando could see it." He sighed. "I miss them, and Ben. Ben is so wise and kind, and even though they tease me, I love Han and Lando like brothers."

"Then it's time you returned to them." The ginger cat jumped down from the window sill where she was perched. "I promised you a horse. Let's go select the finest horse I have in my stable."

All the horses looked up as Luke arrived. He'd grown to love each and every one. They were the most beautiful animals he'd ever seen, far nicer than any of the horses that drove Ben's cart. A shining horse with a glossy white coat and creamy bluish mane nudged Luke's head. "This one," he said. "Ben will love her! Besides, she's my favorite in the stable. I don't think I could part with her."

"Very well." The ginger cat meowed at the horse, who nodded. "Artoo and I will be along in three day's time. Let's get you some lunch. After you eat, my servants will show you the way out."

"Kitty," Luke said as they went back to the castle, "don't you like me?"

The ginger cat stopped for a minute. "Yes," she said simply. "You're a...well, you're a good friend. I don't know why you're so good to a cat, but you are. You've done everything I've asked you to, and performed very well."

"Because you're my friend." He leaned over and gave the cat a kiss. "You were nice enough to give me this horse and a place to stay. And you're a good dancer, for a cat!"

The cat turned nearly as red as her fur for a second before she regained her composure. "Yes, well, I'll see you in three day's time."

Luke was lead to the main road by three strong Siamese cats. He walked back to the mill, since most folks took one look at his tattered coat and trousers and went right by him. He didn't mind. He enjoyed the stroll, now that he knew where he was going.

He arrived at the mill only a few hours later. Lando and Han were already there. Han had a small, feisty noblewoman on his arm and was bringing a strong, fuzzy brown horse to the stable behind the mill. Lando trotted over on a sleek golden mare, followed by a woman with lavender curls and a lacy gown as expensive as Lando's gold and blue cape and trousers.

"Hey, kid." Han raised his eyes at what was left of Luke's clothes. "What happened to you? And why do you smell like cat?"

"You guys won't believe what happened to me!" Luke's big smile was as bright as the sun. "I worked for an orange tabby. She was kind of bossy, and she gave me a lot of jobs to do, but she finally gave me the most beautiful white horse I ever saw. She told me it'll be along in three days."

"Luke," Lando started slowly, "I know these woods are full of ghosts and witches and things, but...cats can't talk."

"Maybe they can." The girl with the two buns on her head climbed off Han's furry horse. "I've heard a lot of stories in Alderaan about the wicked Emperor Palpatine, who turned his entire household into animals before he died, including his adopted daughter." The girl smiled at Luke. "By the way, my name is Countess Leia Organa. My friend over there is Lady Amilyn Holdo."

Her purple-haired friend nodded. "I've heard the story, too. He wanted her to help him turn all of his enemies in the kingdom into animals, but she refused. He turned on them instead before he was killed in battle."

Ben came out next. "Luke!" He hugged the boy. "I've missed you, lad." The old miller gazed over Luke's shoulder. "What happened to your clothes, my boy? And where is your horse? Did you meet any ladies?"

"My clothes? Oh." Luke looked down at himself. "The cat said she didn't have anything that would fit me. As for my horse, it'll be along in three days." His face fell. "But I never met any ladies. Only a girl cat. I guess she counts."

"I'm afraid you're going to have to sleep in the stables for a few days, my boy." Ben sighed. "We can give you a good scrub in the metal tub, but we really have no clothes that will fit you."

So Luke lived in the stables for three days. He didn't mind. He enjoyed making friends with Han's horse Chewbacca and Lando's mare Lady Luck and helping to clean out their stalls. The young man was sure they would be great friends with his white horse Artoo.

On the morning of the third day, the most beautiful golden carriage anyone at the mill had ever seen pulled up to the main building, pulled by six horses. A page in golden livery helped a stunning red-headed princess in a black and gold gown and a jewel-studded crown alight. Leia and Amilyn's eyes widened.

"That's her!" Amilyn gasped. "That's the Princess Mara! She disappeared years ago! I heard she angered her protector so much, he sealed her away in his castle."

Ben Kenobi bowed low before her. "You honor our humble mill, Your Highness." He kissed her hand. "I was a knight myself once, before I opened my mill. I'm afraid my lord is long gone now. How may I be of service to you?"

Mara tossed her fiery mane of red-orange hair. "You have an apprentice named Luke Skywalker here?"

"Yes," Ben admitted. "He's in the stables, tending to the horses. His clothes are a bit of a mess. We've sent out for fabric to make him new ones..."

"No need for that." One of her servants brought out a small trunk. "I've brought him the finest clothes money can buy in town." The gold-clad servant brought the white horse to Ben. "And I believe you asked your apprentices to bring a horse and a woman to wed. Here is the horse." She gave him a small smile. "And I am his woman."

Luke clutched the ragged remains of his coat around him Han brought him to the group. "I'm sorry, Your Highness," he stammered, "but I was tending to the horses, and I know I have hay in my hair, and my coat is practically falling off me. I'll get a better coat as soon as I'm paid..."

Mara stopped his prattle with a kiss. "Don't you recognize your Kitty?"

"Kitty?" Luke's blue eyes tripled in size. "You can't be! She...but you're..."

Mara nodded. "I was the ward of Emperor Sheev Palpatine. My guardian taught me some magic, hoping I'd use it against his enemies. I turned many innocent people into animals before he told me to use it against a prince who had never harmed anyone. I refused, and he turned me and everyone in our castle into cats before dying himself. The only way the magic could be reversed was if a young man with a good heart agreed to work for me for a year, obey all commands, and take nothing that wasn't offered from him."

She gave him a gentle kiss. "He also had to befriend me and kiss me, even though I was a cat and not much of a friend."

"I...did?" Luke looked over his shoulder at his employer. "Ben...would you minded terribly if I didn't take the mill?"

"Yeah." Han put an arm around Leia. "I kind of lost interest, too. Leia and I will be going back to her kingdom to race horses and help her parents keep an eye on things."

Lando grinned at Amilyn. "Lady Holdo and I have a room at Cantino Bight, the biggest casino town in all the kingdoms, reserved just for us. We're going to paint the town red, then have a little fun doubling our money at the Bespin Casino."

"I'm getting too old to run this place anyway." Ben shrugged. "Maybe it's time I thought about selling."

"You can come back with us." Luke took his master's hand. "We'd be glad to have your counsel."

And that's just what they did. Mara ordered Luke to wash and dress in the clothes she brought. When his servants were finished with him, he looked as handsome as any prince in his white and silver clothes and silver crown. She and Luke returned to the castle...to find that Luke's cottage had been transformed into a larger, even more stunning castle of silver and gold. She and Luke lived in the castle, while Ben resided in the older palace, tending to the gardens and the remaining cats until he died. The kind old man never had to touch a millstone again. Han and Leia became revered horse-breeders in Alderaan, with Leia taking over for her own parents on the kingdom's council when they stepped down, while Lando and Amilyn continued traveling from casino town to casino town, looking for their next big win.

Luke eventually wed Princess Mara...and no one ever said again that a young person of no importance couldn't become someone special.

 **The End**


End file.
